Game Notes: Kansas-SE Lousiana

--Kansas is 2-0 for the fourth straight season.
--The 'Hawks have won 12 straight home games against non-conference teams.
--Mark Mangino is 13-2 at home against non-conference teams.
--The 62-point win for KU was the largest margin since a 72-0 win against UAB on Sept. 24, 1994. It also ranks tied for fourth as the largest margin of victory in school history.
--With 52 points last week, KU scored more than 50 points in back-to-back games for the first time in school history.
--The last KU shut out was against Southern Illinois on Sept. 23, 2000 (42-0).
--SE Louisiana rushed for -31 yards which is the second fewest yards rushing all time by a KU opponent. KSU rushed for -56 yards in the 1992 season.
--Eight different Jayhawks have scored KU's 11 TDs this season.
--The attendance of 43,914 was the 12th time in the last 13 home games KU has drawn over 40,000 at Memorial Stadium.
--KU junior Marcus Herford's kick return for a touchdown in the first quarter was his first career kick return TD and first TD return since Greg Heaggans' 100-yard return vs. Southwest Missouri State in 2002.
--Junior cornerbak Aqib Talib has four career receptions with three of those going for touchdowns.
--Sophomore Raimond Pendleton has 9 punt returns for 166 yards. KU's leading punt returner in 2006 was Jonathan Lamb with 165 yards on 15 returns.
--Senior Marcus Henry had 119 receiving yards on five catches for back-to-back 100-yard games.
--Junior Dexton Fields first touchdown pass of the year was his seventh career TD catch.
--Senior Derek Fine has at least one reception in 23 of his last 26 games at Kansas.

Kansas 62, SE Louisiana 0 -- Box Score

Score by Quarters     1  2  3  4   Score
-------------------- -- -- -- --   -----
Southeastern La.....  0  0  0  0 -  0 Record: (0-2)
Kansas..............  9 20 19 14 - 62 Record: (2-0)

Scoring Summary:
1st 06:18 KU - TEAM safety, , SL 0 - KU 2
06:07 KU - Herford, Marcus 74 yd kickoff return (Webb, Scott kick), , SL 0 - KU 9
2nd 14:35 KU - McAnderson, Bra 4 yd run (Webb, Scott kick), 5-83 1:49, SL 0 - KU 16
08:29 KU - Talib, Aqib 36 yd pass from Reesing, Todd (Reesing, Todd pass failed), 5-93 1:46, SL 0 - KU 22
04:07 KU - McAnderson, Bra 2 yd run (Webb, Scott kick), 5-22 2:33, SL 0 - KU 29
3rd 12:07 KU - Webb, Scott 33 yd field goal, 10-50 2:47, SL 0 - KU 32
07:11 KU - Fields, Dexton 25 yd pass from Reesing, Todd (Webb, Scott kick), 5-64 2:05, SL 0 - KU 39
05:28 KU - Onyegbule, Max safety, , SL 0 - KU 41
03:51 KU - Sharp, Jake 23 yd pass from Meier, Kerry (Webb, Scott kick), 4-34 1:28, SL 0 - KU 48
4th 12:41 KU - Sharp, Jake 3 yd run (Webb, Scott kick), 5-53 2:13, SL 0 - KU 55
05:23 KU - Boyd-Anderson 2 yd run (Webb, Scott kick), 8-32 4:48, SL 0 - KU 62

                               SL       KU
FIRST DOWNS................... 8        22
RUSHES-YARDS (NET)............ 29-31    39-221
PASSING YDS (NET)............. 106      280
Passes Att-Comp-Int........... 34-22-0  24-14-0
TOTAL OFFENSE PLAYS-YARDS..... 63-75    63-501
Fumble Returns-Yards.......... 0-0      0-0
Punt Returns-Yards............ 0-0      4-76
Kickoff Returns-Yards......... 9-157    3-149
Interception Returns-Yards.... 0-0      0-0
Punts (Number-Avg)............ 9-32.8   2-38.0
Fumbles-Lost.................. 0-0      0-0
Penalties-Yards............... 3-33     3-15
Possession Time............... 32:41    27:19
Third-Down Conversions........ 5 of 18  8 of 12
Fourth-Down Conversions....... 1 of 3   0 of 1
Red-Zone Scores-Chances....... 0-0      5-6
Sacks By: Number-Yards........ 1-9      4-19

RUSHING: Southeastern La.-Lucas, Jay 9-12; Adams, Dremell 5-4; Ross,
Byron 3-3; Schlosser, Brad 1-minus 3; Muhammad, Krish 1-minus 7; Babin, Brian
9-minus 12; TEAM 1-minus 28. Kansas-McAnderson, Bra 11-60; Boyd-Anderson 13-54;
Meier, Kerry 2-44; Sharp, Jake 8-32; Reesing, Todd 5-31.

PASSING: Southeastern La.-Babin, Brian 20-30-0-89; Schlosser, Brad
2-4-0-17. Kansas-Reesing, Todd 13-23-0-257; Meier, Kerry 1-1-0-23.

RECEIVING: Southeastern La.-Lucas, Jay 8-20; Smith, Courtney 3-20; Adams,
Dremell 3-17; Muhammad, Krish 3-13; Ross, Byron 2-22; Garrett, Jamarr 2-10;
Wardell, Cole 1-4. Kansas-Henry, Marcus 5-119; Fields, Dexton 5-59; Fine, Derek
2-43; Talib, Aqib 1-36; Sharp, Jake 1-23.

INTERCEPTIONS: Southeastern La.-None. Kansas-None.

Stadium: Memorial Stadium Attendance: 43914
Kickoff time: 6:05 pm End of Game: 9:08 pm Total elapsed time: 3:03
Officials: Referee: Rick Loumiet; Umpire: Stephen Rieker; Linesman: Chad Green;
Line judge: Tripp Sutter; Back judge: Athur Lucky; Field judge: Rocky Ryan;
Side judge: Joe Pester; Scorer: Beau White;
Temperature: 84 F Wind: NE 7 mph Weather: Mostly sunny

DEFENSE

SACKS (UA-A): Southeastern La.-Womack, Dwight 0-1; Wilson, Re'Keem 0-1.
Kansas-Onyegbule, Max 1-0; Wright, Arist 1-0; Rivera, Mike 1-0; McClinton, Jame
1-0.

TACKLES (UA-A): Southeastern La.-Byers, Jared 5-2; Newbill, Mark 4-2;
Johnson, Michae 2-4; Richardson, Ant 0-6; Godare, Ryan 1-4; Jackson, Eric 3-1;
Johnson, Demeri 3-1; Dume, John 2-1; Williams, Travi 2-1; Connors, Tommy 2-1;
Anderson, Ryan 0-3; Womack, Dwight 0-3; Douglas, Trey 0-3; Frazier, Donald 2-0;
Cannon, Devin 1-1; Honore, Steven 1-1; Vaughn, Walter 0-2; Wilson, Re'Keem 0-2;
Richardson, Tim 1-0; LeBlanc, Kyle 1-0; DiCarlo, Chris 1-0; Harris, Brennen 1-0;
Samples, Cody 0-1; Boutwell, Devin 0-1. Kansas-Mortensen, Joe 5-4; Rivera, Mike
2-3; McClinton, Jame 2-3; Larson, John 2-3; Holt, James 2-3; Talib, Aqib 2-2;
Onyegbule, Max 2-2; Brorsen, Russel 1-3; Seymour, Brian 3-0; Stuckey, Darrel
2-1; Lewis, Dakota 2-1; Laptad, Jake 2-1; Harris, Chris 1-2; Webb, Anthony 2-0;
Greene, Jamal 2-0; Sharp, Jake 1-1; Wright, Arist 1-1; Resby, Patrick 1-1;
Brown, Micah 1-1; Green, Gary 1-0; Blakesley, Cale 1-0; Schermer, Jake 1-0;
Dudley, Drew 1-0; Haselhorst, Tod 1-0; Springer, Justi 1-0; Thornton, Justi 0-1;
Wheeler, Jeff 0-1.

Gameday Notes -- SE Louisiana @ Kansas

Avoiding Wolverine Syndrome

Series: First Meeting
Line: No line

The Rundown
It's a little tough for the fans to get up for an FCS opponent, so let's hope that doesn't translate to the players. The Lions (2-9 in 2006) are not two-time FCS champions, so despite the Appalachian State hype, KU fans and players should view this one as a glorified scrimmage. Since it's Band Day, there should be a good crowd on hand and after last week's performance, the crowd could certainly use a little work on the Rock Chalk chant. On the field, this should be another good opportunity for Todd Reesing to work on his game and develop more confidence before Big 12 play. Actually, he's always seemed pretty confident, so let's just say it gives him valuable "live game" experience.

The Key
KU can win even if they come out with a lack of focus, but it sure would be nice to see them retain the killer instinct they had last weekend. I'd like to see the pass rush make some noise early on. A little more aggresiveness for the overall "D" would be a good indicator as well. Both lines should be dominant for the 'Hawks today. It's difficult to identify an advantage that SE Louisiana might have -- other than overconfidence by the Jayhawk Nation.

Predictions

• KU fans will be disappointed with less than 50 points -- that's the bite on this type of game
• Four more TD passes for Todd Reesing to keep him on his season pace of 48
• Band Day is tough to call, but I'll go with 43k for attendance
• Raimond Pendleton will score another TD and quietly hand the ball to the referee
• KU fans will secretly long for an 80's style video of the Jayhawk mascot doing air guitar
• Jake Sharp breaks a big one
• KU's first TD of the game -- Jake Sharp (add your guess to the comments, winner is awarded status as a legend)

Update on Sunday, September 9, 2007 at 05:04PM by DJ Goodwin

--KU fans were not disappointed

--Only two TDs for Reesing, it looks like only 36 for the year now. Of course, he only played 2.5 quarters

--Marcus Herford filled in for Hot Dog on this one

--Does the TD pass count?

--Well, wrong again. Herford scores TD #1

SE Louisiana -- Quick Primer

Prepping for the Lions

SE Lions Preview Capsule (Hawk Digest)

An interview with Lions' coach Mike Lucas via Rock Chalk Sports Network 

Summary and stats from last week's loss to New Mexico State

Last Week | New Mexico State (35-14 loss)

• The Lions were held to 62 yards total offense in the first half.
• SE Lousiana gave up five sacks in the game.
• QB Brian Babin was 14-27 for 145 yards with no touchdowns and one interception (returned for TD).
• Running back Dremell Adams scored the Lions' lone offensive touchdown on a 62-yard gallop with 2:01 remaining.
• The other score came on Demerious Johnson's 30-yard interception return in the first quarter.
• Adams finished with 73 yards on five carries for the Lions while Preseason All-Southland choice Jay Lucas added 73 yards on sixteen carries.
• The Lions had four interceptions against New Mexico State. Eric Jackson had two.
• Travis Williams and Tommy Conners led the Lions with eight tackles each.

HD Big 12 Power Rankings

1) Oklahoma (1-0, 0-0) #10 CBS
Okay, so I guess the new quarterback might work out for the Sooners. The Hurricanes will provide a much better guage on the boys from Norman.
CBS Schedule Rank: 86
Results: W N. Texas 79-10
Next: Miami (Fla)

Week-by-Week:
HD: 1
CBS: 10

2) Texas (1-0, 0-0) #8 CBS
I'm confused and I'm pretty sure all of Austin is confused. Should have been an interesting week of practice. The Horned Frogs (#22) are probably thinking about a win this Saturday.
CBS Schedule Rank: 11
Results: W Arkansas St 21-13
Next: TCU

Week-by-Week:
HD: 2
CBS: 8

3) Nebraska (1-0, 0-0) #19 CBS
The Huskers did it old style last week. Wake will provide a nice little road test before the Trojans come to town. If you have to take on the No. 1 team in the nation, this schedule probably lays out pretty decent for preparation.
CBS Schedule Rank: 17
Results: W Nevada 52-10
Next: @Wake Forest

Week-by-Week:
HD: 3
CBS: 19

4) Texas A&M (1-0, 0-0) #21 CBS
The Aggies took care of business last weekend. This week will be a much better gauge on A&M. KSU fans will watch this one with interest as they finish out the season against Fresno State.
CBS Schedule Rank: 89
Results: W Montana St 38-7
Next: Fresno St.

Week-by-Week:
HD: 4
CBS: 21

5) Missouri (1-0, 0-0) #41 CBS
They won, but questions about the defense remain. The Tigers can get back a little respect by proving themselves on the road. Do these guys get to play in Columbia this year?
CBS Schedule Rank: 22
Results: W Illinios 40-34,
Next: @Mississipi

Week-by-Week:
HD: 5
CBS: 41

6) Texas Tech (1-0, 0-0) #45 CBS
If it wasn't for the North, Tech could probably figure out a way to play all of their games in Texas and Oklahoma. Tech is Tech. They'll take care of business the next few weeks then we'll find out what they're really made of when they travel to OSU on 9/22 -- predicted score 96-85.
CBS Schedule Rank: 113
Results: W SMU 49-9
Next: UTEP

Week-by-Week:
HD: 6
CBS: 45

7) Oklahoma St (1-0, 0-0) #37 CBS
I guess their offense is stoppable. Georgia's good, but OSU's defense has a long way to go.
CBS Schedule Rank: 105
Results: L @Georgia 14-35
Next: Florida Atlantic

Week-by-Week:
HD: 7
CBS: 37

8) Kansas (1-0, 0-0) #52 CBS
Everybody wants to get on the bandwagon, but it'll be a while before the Hawks play a BCS team. In the meantime, KU and QB Todd Reesing should build up a lot of confidence to carry into Big 12 play.
CBS Schedule Rank: 88
Results: W Central Michigan 52-7
Next: SE Louisiana

Week-by-Week:
North: 8
CBS: 52

9) Kansas State (0-1, 0-0) #54 CBS
So close ... yet so abused at the left tackle position. It was hard to watch Josh Freeman get pummelled late in the game against Auburn. Scary, can you help a young QB out? The Cats have dropped three straight, but they've all been away from home against good opponents.
CBS Schedule Rank: 111
Results: L Auburn 13-23
Next: San Jose St.

Week-by-Week:
HD: 9
CBS: 54
 
10) Colorado (1-0, 0-0) #53 CBS
Are the Buffs ready to re-claim a position among the North elite? Maybe, we just need one more game to evaluate. At least they have a QB this year.
CBS Schedule Rank: 68
Results: W Colorado St 31-28 OT
Next: @Arizona St

Week-by-Week:
HD: 10
CBS: 53

11) Baylor (0-1, 0-0) #80 CBS
It's a tough call putting the Bears above ISU, but I give it to them by virtue of playing on the road against a ranked opponent. Does it ever end for Baylor? We get a new commissioner and everybody is talking about trading them out for TCU or Arkansas. That's just wrong.
CBS Schedule Rank: 16
Results: L @TCU 0-27
Next: Rice

Week-by-Week:
HD: 11
CBS: 80

12) Iowa State (0-1, 0-0) #70 CBS
You've got Brett Meyer and Todd Blythe. Otherwise, the cupboard is bare. Please consult, "So You Inherited A Shelled Out Big 12 Team," by Mark Mangino.
CBS Schedule Rank: 112
Results: L Kent St 14-23
Next: N. Iowa

Week-by-Week:
HD: 12
CBS: 70

Rock Chalk Radar

Scanning the KU football scene ...

KU Gets a Vote in the AP Poll

Ryan Wood thinks that's as high as we'll go for a while:

"Considering the Jayhawks’ schedule the next three weeks, it’s unlikely they’ll get too many more votes anytime soon, even if they finish the nonconference slate unbeaten."

One thing might change that -- a CMU thrashing of Toledo this weekend. They could also move us up by winning at Purdue the following week. Still, it truly doesn't matter at this point. Until we beat a BCS team, we don't really belong in the poll.

Arrowhead is Filling Up + Stadium Talk

The Phoggies agree. With 69k sold, you better get your tickets now.

The annual stadium thread is alive -- http://mbd.scout.com/mb.aspx?s=172&f=2485#s=172&f=2485&t=949718

FCS Expansion

Bowl Teams Might Want to Get Outside of the Box

I've spent the week trying to avoid commenting on the Appalachian St. upset of Michigan. KU fans are all too familiar with the feeding frenzy that occurs when you are the victim of an improbable upset. There's no need to pile on, but I did start to think about what it means in the overall picture. Is it really that shocking? The Mountaineers are a team with playoff experience. They understand what it means to win or go home. Over the past two seasons, Appy St. has played in (and won) eight post-season games. Michigan has played in two, neither of which were elimination games. I mean c'mon, it was just a matter of time before the "Championship" division surpassed the "Bowl" nobility.

So, now I think we may see some "bowl" level teams try to make the jump into the championship division. I mean it makes sense to want to move to a division where all teams have an equal shot at post-season play. The WAC, the MAC, Conference USA and the Sun Belt could make a power-play move right now. It'd be a pretty good recruiting ploy -- "if you want to make it to the NFL, come get some real playoff experience."

Or maybe we should just combine the whole thing into one big super division. Playoff proponents always talk about a eight to twelve teams facing off in "D-I" bracket. Forget about it ... try 242 teams battling to get into a 64-team playoff.

Opponent Update -- Week #1

Out of the gate, the critics are pretty solid in calling out the non-con schedule for KU. Their record for opening weekend was 0-4. Of course, all four teams stepped up to play teams at a higher level, so we'll learn a little bit more this weekend when Central Michigan hosts Toledo. The Rockets spent Saturday getting pasted by Purdue 52-24 at the mighty Glass Bowl. SE Louisiana lost at New Mexico St. 35-14, which is similar to last year's score (30-15), but the Aggies did return 17 players. Florida International didn't put up much of a fight at #17 Penn State losing 59-0. Not really a great place to go to end a losing streak. KU did do well in the Sagarin Rankings by posting a big score and moving up to #35.

Central Michigan #121
L @ Kansas 7-52
Next: Toledo

SE Louisiana #194
L @ New Mexico St. 14-35
Next: @ Kansas

Toledo #103
L Purdue 24-52
Next: @ Central Michigan

Florida International #174
L @ Penn State 0-59
Next: Maryland

# = Sagarin Ranking

Hawk Digest Player of the Week: Todd Reesing

There's no debate on this one for the Jayhawk nation. Todd Reesing goes 20 of 29 for 261 yards and four touchdowns with no turnovers -- a pretty good first career start. The nice thing is that several other players made bids for POTW as well:

Marcus Henry -- 7 rec, 103 yards, 1 TD
Brandon McAnderson -- 16 carries, 110 yards
Raimond Pendleton -- 3 rec, 34 yards, 1 TD plus a 77-yard punt return for TD
Jake Sharp -- 15 carries, 106 yards, 1 TD

Around The North | Week #1

As Planned?

Sam Keller didn't fall off the Heisman list, but he certainly didn't move up the list. He did go from recently untested to at least capable of handing the ball off. It's interesting that despite all of the "West Coast" Callahan talk, Nebraska looks best when they pound the ball with the running game, sort of like they did for a hundred years prior to BC ... Mizzou got the win and although you may want to giggle at their defensive struggles, it's still an opening game. Everybody thinks they are good in week one and Illinois gave it their best shot. Plus they are a Big 10 team. Most concerning factor would be Chase Daniels not getting down to the ground five yards past the first down marker and taking the kind of hit that can end a career ... Kansas State avoided the worst case scenario, but it never feels good to lose. Eventually, the Cats will feel better about this one, but it looks like they are on a three-game losing streak. The defense played well, but what do we make of the running game (27 yards) ... With some new players on defense and a new coaching staff at Central Michigan, it seem liked Kansas might have a shot at a comfortable game, but not many predicted a rout. The answers on offense were all favorable. We'll want to see improvement from the pass rush versus Toledo in two weeks .... Hey, Colorado has an offense and picked up what ranks as the highest quality win for the North this weeked (at least according to Sagarin -- CSU #70, Nevada #75, CMU #88, Illinois #94). Suddenly, the Buffs look like a division contender ... It looks like it won't be a quick turnaround for Iowa State, but Kent State is predicted to make some noise in the MAC. Clones fans can start analyzing games for improvement.

KU Rocks the Chippewas, 52-7

All Systems Go!

One down, eight to go for Aqib Talib's promise of nine wins. If Todd Reesing keeps raining TD passes, the Hawks will be a cinch to deliver on AT's promise. As noted in the blogger media press box (row 53), Reesing was on a pace for 96 passing TD's at halftime (excluding the championship game and bowl). He later eased up and settled for a 20 for 29 day with 261 yards and four TD passes as the KU offense rolled up 52 points.

Things I Like

• After a forgettable first drive with three incompletions, Brandon McAnderson got things rolling on the second drive by ripping off multiple seven-yard carries, behind some solid blocking. Reesing and Derek Fine finished it off with a perfectly executed "fade" pass for a three-yard TD.
• True freshman Dezmon Briscoe catches his first pass -- a TD were he got popped but held on to the ball. Looks like he could be a special player.
• Reesing had no turnovers. He played a smart game at QB and that's just what KU needed.
• Marcus Henry -- 7 catches, 103 yards, 1 touchdown. Excellent.
• Ed Warriner delivered on the promise. When the time was right, we went deep. I'm already a fan.
• It was fun to watch Aqib Talib show off his speed and separate from the CMU defenders for a 49-yard TD catch.
• The secondary covered well. True freshman Chris Harris looked good, although he did get beat deep once (incomplete).
• The defense pitched a shutout for most of the game using a conservative game plan without putting much pressure on Dan Lefevour

Areas of Concern

• The linebackers weren't real sharp. Mike Rivera in particular seemed to struggle to track down the ball carrier in open space.
• As mentioned above, not a lot of pressure on LeFevour. The game plan seemed to rely on pressure from the d-line only. It worked in this game, but they didn't seem real aggresive up front. We still haven't caught up to 2005.
• Aqib Talib at wide receiver. He can definitely play the position and I like watching him at wideout, but should he be playing there? 

Game Notes: Kansas-Central Michigan

--KU has now won four straight openers.
--The 52 point total was the second most during the Mark Mangino era. KU scored 63 against Toledo on Sept. 11, 2004.
--Central Michigan's seven points were the lowest for a KU opponent since South Florida scored seven last season. 
--Brandon McAnderson (110) and Jake Sharp (106) both rushed for over 100 yards.
--The attendance of 46,815 was the largest for a KU home opener since 1994 - 48,100 - against Michigan State.
--KU has gone over 40,000 in 11 of the last 12 home games.
--The first quarter touchdown marked the first time in the last six games that KU has scored first.
--Senior Marcus Henry caught a career-high seven passes for a career-high 103 yards.
--Joe Mortensen and John Larson each had two tackles for loss.
--Eight Jayhawks made their first career start against Central Michigan - OFFENSE: Adrian Mayes (LG), Chet Hartley (RG), Tertavian Ingram (WR), Todd Reesing (QB); DEFENSE: Caleb Blakesley (DT), John Larson (DE), Patrick Resby (S), Chris Harris (CB).